Why lawyer Cliff Ombeta fears ‘rape charges’ if he travels for Akashas’ case
A city lawyer for the two sons of slain drug baron Ibrahim Akasha will not be travelling to the United States to represent his clients out of fear of being slapped with ‘rape charges’.
Baktash Akasha and his brother Ibrahim, Ghulam Hussein and Indian national Vijaygiri Goswami were arrested on Saturday and extradited to the US.
Lawyer Cliff Ombeta told journalists that an altercation with America’s Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officers during the arrest of his client has conviced him of prospects of being charged there.
He made the comments while issuing a statement on the “rendition” of his clients.
Asked if he would be travelling to the US to represent his clients alongside their American lawyers, Mr Ombeta said: “I would have loved to do so, but, in that confrontation with the Americans when they were in Mombasa one of them told me ‘oh we have got so much intel about you, you are always trying to spoil cases for the ***’.
“You see when somebody tells you something like that, ukienda huko utawekewa charge hata ya rape na hata hujafika huko,” Mr Ombeta added.
“Its not risky, (sic) its not wise to go but should be the good thing to do because first of all, the lawyers in America we can be able to advise them and tell them clearly because I know this case from the word go, I have been in this case from the moment these people were arrested on 9th of November 2011,” said Mr Ombeta.
